Chapter 3

Perhaps the comptroller remembered Lorenzo’s standing orders, because in the end she asked nothing. She only approved the transfer and handed the invoice back to me.

I had barely reached the main hall when my phone rang.

It was the agency.

“Ms. Adela, your reservation has been confirmed. Once the procedure is complete, your remains will be cremated according to your instructions, and your ashes will be scattered over the Atlantic. We’ll also arrange pickup on arrival. Please confirm your flight number.”

I had just opened my mouth to answer when a familiar voice sounded behind me.

“What flight?”

I turned and saw Lorenzo standing a few steps away, his face changed so suddenly it made my chest tighten.

I ended the call at once.

He was already crossing the hall. His hand closed around my wrist.

“Where are you going?”

I looked at him and kept my face still.

“I was checking routes for our honeymoon.”

He stared at me for a moment, then visibly relaxed.

“That’s the surprise you meant?”

He bent and kissed my temple. “You should leave that to me. Your heart can’t handle too much strain. I’ll take care of the wedding. All you need to do is show up looking beautiful.”

Then, quieter, he added, “If something is wrong, tell me. Don’t ever disappear on me, Adela. If I couldn’t find you, it would destroy me.”

Maybe he sensed something anyway, because he refused to leave my side after that. He canceled meetings and stayed with me all afternoon.

At dinner, he watched me constantly. If I touched my glass, he lifted it for me. If my eyes lingered on something on the menu, he had it ordered. To anyone else, he would have looked devoted.

Then a bright voice cut across the room.

“What a coincidence.”

I looked up.

Vera was standing near the entrance with a handsome man on her arm. The moment Lorenzo saw them, he went still.

His face hardened before he could hide it.

“Who is he?” he asked.

The question came out too fast, too sharp.

A second later, he smoothed his expression. “An old friend?”

Vera smiled. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

Something dark crossed Lorenzo’s face. Vera greeted us politely, then let the man lead her to another table.

After that, Lorenzo barely listened to anything I said. He kept checking his phone and glancing across the room. At last he set down his napkin.

“There’s a family matter I need to deal with,” he said. “Eat without me. I’ll be back.”

Of course he would.

I nodded and watched him leave. Vera rose a few seconds later and followed him out.

Once they were gone, I opened the message she had sent me.

It was an audio file.

I pressed play.

“So this is how it is?” Vera’s voice came first, low and displeased. “You said once the wedding was over, you’d cut me off.”

There was the sound of fabric dragging, a rough breath, the soft friction of bodies pressed too close.

Then Lorenzo’s voice, darker than before.

“Be quiet.”

A pause.

“Don’t let another man touch you again.”

Vera laughed softly. “Of course, capo. From now on, I belong to you.”

I listened to the whole thing without moving.

Two days until the wedding.

A few hours later, another message arrived from Vera.

100 places before the wedding: 99 complete.

Lorenzo chose your wedding for the last one.

I read it twice, then locked the screen.

Good.

At least now I had nothing left to hesitate over.

The day before the wedding, I did three things.

First, I recorded a short blessing in Sicilian.

Second, I copied every message, every audio file, and every video Vera had sent me.

Third, I placed all of it inside a gift box and left it with the flowers that would be delivered to Lorenzo on the morning of the ceremony.

By then, whatever he learned would come too late.

When my plane landed overseas, my phone lit up at once.

Calls. Messages. Unknown numbers. Lorenzo’s name again and again.

I didn’t read any of them.

I removed the SIM card, snapped it in half, and dropped both pieces into the nearest trash bin.

The wind coming off the water was cold and clean.

For the first time in a very long while, I could breathe.

Goodbye, Lorenzo.

This time, I meant it.